This is the first picture of the pensioner charged in connection with a suspected poisoning at a children’s summer camp.
Jonathan Ruben, 76, was arrested on Monday after eight children and an adult were taken to hospital as a precaution when they fell ill at the Leicestershire camp. All have since been discharged.
The camp was being run by the Stathern Children’s Holiday Fund SCHF, which provides ‘school clubs or subsidised holidays’ for children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds in Nottingham.
Mr Ruben, a veterinary surgeon whose business was dissolved last August according to Companies House records, is listed as a trustee of the charity.
Leicestershire Police this afternoon announced that Mr Ruben had been charged with child cruelty offences.
The 76-year-old will be charged with three offences of wilful ill treatment of a child relating to three boys.
He will appear before Leicester Magistrates on Saturday, August 2.
The Daily Mail revealed on Thursday that the suspect had been arrested in the car park of the Anchor Inn at Plungar, three miles from Stathern Lodge, the facility which staged the camp, on Monday.
Today a Nottinghamshire Police car remained outside Mr Ruben’s bungalow at affluent Ruddington, on the edge of the city. Neighbours said there had been police activity at the property since Monday.
A local resident, who didn’t want to be named, said: ‘We haven’t seen any white-suited forensics teams, but what we assume are detectives have been coming in and out, and taking bags of stuff away.
‘There were so many that it was obvious something really serious must have happened. Eventually we went and asked them because we were so worried. They were really tight-lipped, but eventually all they would say when we asked them the specific question was that there hadn’t been any loss of life.
‘They said we would find out eventually, and on Thursday we did.’
The neighbour said police had been at the address ‘24/7’ since arriving on Monday.
The resident added: ‘The whole thing is a complete and utter shock. We gather he has run the charity for a long time – it is a wonderful cause and does a lot of good work. He is a lovely guy, and they are a lovely couple.
‘They are really good neighbours – we usually see him walking his two dogs. We haven’t seen the wife since Monday.
‘We knew he was doing camps this summer, although we didn’t know he was away at the weekend. We last saw him on Thursday last week.
‘To be honest we are hoping it is all a terrible mistake. He is the last person you would expect to be involved in something like this.’
Janine McKinney, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East Midlands, said: ‘The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the prosecution of a 76-year-old man with child cruelty offences following a police investigation into a summer camp held at Stathern Lodge, Leicestershire.
‘This decision has been made after reviewing a file of evidence from Leicestershire Police.
‘Jonathon Ruben will be charged with three offences of wilful ill treatment of a child relating to three boys. He will appear at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Saturday August 1.
‘This has been an extremely upsetting and shocking moment for the community, and especially for the children and parents most directly affected.
‘We would like to remind all concerned that there are now active criminal proceedings against Mr Ruben and he has the right to a fair trial. There must be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online that may in any way prejudice these proceedings.’
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating Leicester Police’s response to the incident. The force confirmed that officers did not visit the summer camp until Monday, a day after receiving the report that children had been feeling ill.
Stathern Lodge is owned by the Braithwaite Gospel Trust, a charity which provides ‘facilities to groups who have the primary aims of advancing education, advancing the Christian religion and giving help to the less well off’.
Trustee Jonathan Jesson confirmed that the facility was being used by a group from Nottingham. He added: ‘The trust owns the lodge, and lets it to independent groups as self-catering hostel accommodation.
‘The charity was set up by a Christian farmer in the early 1970s, and part of his will dictated that Stathern Lodge would be used for the good of young people.’
On Thursday, Leicestershire Police said the suspect had been arrested on suspicion of administering poison or a ‘noxious thing’ with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy.
The investigation is being led by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit’s Major Incident Team to allow ‘a full and thorough investigation to take place with dedicated resources’.
In a statement on Thursday, Detective Inspector Neil Holden, the senior investigating officer, said he was at the helm of a ‘complex and sensitive investigation’.
Leicestershire Police said it had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) ‘due to the circumstances of the initial police response’.
The watchdog said: ‘We received a conduct referral on Tuesday from Leicestershire Police relating to their handling of concerns passed to them over the wellbeing of a group of children.
‘Our assessment team has examined all available evidence and concluded the matter should be independently investigated by the IOPC.
‘The investigation will look at whether there were any breaches of professional behaviour – namely a failure to carry out duties and responsibilities – that resulted in a delay in Leicestershire Police’s response to what was later declared a critical incident.’
